Tying Up Loose Ends

 “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”*

Years ago, our friend Al Gray gave Al and me round wooden disks to keep in our pockets. On one side he had engraved the word “tuit” and on the other, three crosses using a wood burning tool. When we looked at him with puzzled expressions, he

 asked us if there was something we really wanted to do or needed to do, but just never seemed to get  “a round tu-it.” Now we had one! No excuses!

 Al Gray’s sense of humor has helped me remember to trust Jesus with tying up the loose ends in my life rather than fretting over things that just don’t seem to be getting done. For instance, there is the jig saw puzzle, a Christmas gift from our daughter and son-in-law made from a photo of their family, still spread out on a table in the dining room.

Putting the puzzle together has been laborious with 1,014 tiny pieces, many of which have similar shapes and colors. I’d like to wrap it up, return the table to our kids and move on. But the best I can do is find one or two pieces a day. At that rate I will probably finish in another year or two.

I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by it recently, ready to give up when just a few minutes of concentration on one section of the background yielded good results. This renewed my resolve to keep on trying and not to worry about the amount of time it takes. At least it helps me remember to pray for my family as I see their faces materialize on the table before me.

Another unfinished project involved mending four garments with broken zippers. The zippers were purchased last summer, but only two had been installed. A reversible vest sat on my sewing machine table for months with the zipper sewn in by hand. It only needed to be machine stitched and then to have the basting removed.

When there was a little extra time one afternoon, I decided to work on the vest. The biggest challenges were changing the thread on the bobbin from blue to black and rethreading the machine. Once I remembered how to do those things on my new computerized sewing machine, installing the zipper was fairly easy. Hurray! Thank you, Lord!

Washing the windows also has loomed large in my mind, after they were spattered by dust and dirt during the winter months.  I gathered up all of the needed supplies last Friday, intending to spend the whole day on that project.

However, it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. The very first window that I attempted to wash was uncooperative. Our windows have two latches on the top part of each section that free them to roll inward, allowing both the outside and the inside of the window to easily be reached.

While rolling the bottom part towards me, it slipped out of my hand and crashed down, breaking off the plastic latch that keeps it anchored in place. After setting the window upright and looking at the situation, I decided to leave that one and try a different window. My project wasn’t starting out too well.

When Al saw me struggling with the second window, he suggested that we hire someone to do the job! I readily agreed! So far though the search to find a window washing company has been unsuccessful, as has been the search for someone to repair or replace the broken one.

Most of us have projects to complete, decisions to make and actions to take that seem to be getting put off indefinitely. That goes for our spiritual lives as well. We feel the Holy Spirit nudging us in certain areas—to spend more time in prayer or Bible reading for example.

Maybe we have been postponing making a firm commitment to Christ for another time when we aren’t so busy. It’s time to get “a round tuit” and tie up those loose ends!

            Help us O Lord to prioritize our daily lives. Teach us to number our days and make what we do count for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

* Psalm 90:12 & 17